The Saturday press., October 29, 1927, Image 1

About The Saturday press. (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1936

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
The Saturday Press
Vol. 1, No. 6
The Crowning Act of
An Infamous Career
How the Twin City Reporter, Vile Alchemists of
Extortion, Balked in Their Effort to Transmute
Tears Into Gold, Stooped to Defamation of the
Dead; This, the Crowning Act of Their Infa
mous Career, Should Bring Down the Curtain
on This Blackmailing Gang
Friends, I promised you last
week that in this issue I would
disclose the almost unbeliev
able depths to which the Twin
City Reporter publishers have
sunk. If when you have read
this story of that sheet’s de
pravity, you are not agreed
with Mr. Guilford and myself
that it shall be forever si
lenced, its editor and publish
er's driven back into the “rank”
from which they sprung, forced
to suspend publication or be
sent to prison, then your case
is hopeless.
Forty-six years ago a young
ship’s carpenter in the fishing
village of Hosanger, Norway,
stood before the minister of
the local “kirke” and pledged
that he would love and cherish,
honor and protect the winsome
little girl who had placed her
life, her future in his hands
and keeping. Three weeks
later K. B. Birkeland and his
bride took passage to America
—the Mecca, the Utopia, cov
eted, dreamed of, longed for,
by youth and patriarch of
every land.
Birkeland’s youthful days
had not been spent in idleness.
Thrown on his own resources
while yet in his early teens, he
had mastered the ship carpen
ter’s trade and at the same
time managed to acquire an
education. By dint of great
self-denial and perseverance,
he had graduated from the
lower branches and eventually
attained a professorship in
academic courses.
Upon his arrival in the Unit-
Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 29, 1927
ed States he sought and ob
tained a position as instructor
at the Augsburg Seminary in
this city. This was late in the
fall of 1881. Before he had
been long at the Sefninary, he
took up theological studies and
a few'years later was ordained
a minister of the Norwegian
Lutheran church. He held the
pastorate of churches of that
denomination in Argyle and
Hallock, Minn., and later was
sent to the Badger, lowa,
church, from which he was re
called to take charge of the
Lutheran church at St. Paul.
But Rev. Birkeland felt that
Minneapolis was his “home
town” and after a short time
spent in a St. Paul church,
moved back to this city and be
came prominently identified
with the Augsburg Seminary.
He was a man of exceptional
intelligence, a deep student and
a versatile writer, being the
author of almost a score of
bound volumns that ran the
gamut from hymns to fiction.
He was also at one time editor
of the Norwegian Lutheran
“Free Church” publication, the
“Folksbladt.’ His last book,
“The Whalers of Akutan,” a
story of the Alaskan seas, was
being printed by the Yale Uni
versity Press at the time of his
death.
But I am not going to write
a biography of Rev. Birkeland.
I am sketching his life briefly
in order to show my readers
something of the character and
ability of the man the Twin
Continued on Page 7
Barnett Gang Ready
to Reopen Old Haunt
The Barnett-Bevans-Morgan, et al. Gang Said to
Have Already Begun Moving from 818 Hen
nepin Avenue to 208 Eleventh Avenue South;
Intend to Stage the Grand Opening on Novem
ber Second—Just Three Days Before the New
Grand Jury Convenes: Watch ’em Try It!
Rumor is rife that the gang,
emboldened by Chief Brun
skill’s apparent success in ban
ning this paper from the news
stands, has remodeled 208
11th avenue south and is pre
paring to reopen that joint OX
NOVEMBER 2nd. The syndi
cate’s paraphernalia, including
crap and “black-jack” tables*
have been removed from the
818 Hennepin avenue joint
once presided over by that
noted “duck hunter,” Mose
Barnett, and installed in the
old-new den.
Now gentlemen, that move
may be alright, but you take
this tip: TWO HUNDRED
AND EIGHT, ELEVENTH
AVENUE SOUTH, DOESN’T
OPEN ON NOVEMBER SEC
OND OR ANY OTHER DATE.
You birds had as well come
to your senses now as later.
YOU ARE AT THE END OF
THE TRAIL. Here’s where you
unload and either portage a
long way around or get out and
wade. You don’t ride any fur
ther.
I admire your guts but I
can’t say that I am in full ap
proval of your judgment.
To refresh your memories a
little, permit me to call to your
attention an incident that hap
pened within the last decade.
Former Chief of Police Som
mers of St. Paul was “sitting as
pretty” as Frank Brunskill
ever sat. Sommers had HIS
County Attorney at HIS back
and Sommers felt secure. He
rode high and ruled supreme,
until:
A few public spirited citi
zens of that village got togeth
er and called for a special
grand jury and a special prose
cutor. Do you birds recall what
happened? Well, Chief Som
mers was extended the cour
tesy of being permitted to re
sign or make small strings cut
of big ropes down at Still
water.
What St. Paul citizens d:.'
THEN, Minneapolis citizen
can do NOW! What a Rarn-v u
County special Grand Jury d
JTHEN, a Hennepin County spe
cial Grand Jury can do on this
side of the river and do it bet
ter! Now, if you want a bit ei
history to repeat itself, just rap
on the wall by reopening 208
11th avenue south and re
establishing the gang in power
AND YOU WILL FIND THAT
YOUR JEW’S HARP ISN’T
THE FULL ORCHESTRA YOU
THOUGHT IT WAS!
I am talking to a larger au
dience now than in the last few
Continued on Page 5
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